ReportersNotebook

SUPPLIER NEWS — The Village Co.’s Mr. Bubble, which celebrates its 50th birthday this year, has announced the launch of two new products — Mr. Bubble Fizzy Bubble Bomb ($1.49 each) and the Mr. Bubble foam soap twin pack ($4.99) featuring the new Bubbleberry scent and the Original Bubble scent. Shaped like the Mr. Bubble character, the Original Bubble or Bubbleberry scent bath bombs add bubbles and color to bath water. They are available in pink or blue.

The Soho brand, which is known for its soft-sided cosmetic bags and beauty cases, now is expanding into makeup brushes with a collection of ergonomically designed brushes for the mass market. For spring 2012, Soho will release the 18-piece Professional Collection of brushes developed in partnership with makeup artists and designers. The brushes will feature both natural and synthetic hair brush heads and a longer handle for better application control. They will retail for between $7.99 and $19.99. All brushes within the collection will be sold individually and packaged with beauty “how to” tips specific to each brush.

Colgate-Palmolive has completed its acquisition of Sanex from Unilever for about $952 million. Colgate-Palmolive said its acquisition of Sanex, a personal care brand with a distinct positioning around healthy skin and strong market share positions in Europe, will enhance the company’s positions in the shower gel and deodorant categories in the region.

FDA overhauls sunscreen labeling to provide clarity

The sun care segment is in the midst of some significant changes as, years after announcing its intent to improve the labeling of sunscreens, the Food and Drug Administration finally has issued new rules for OTC sunscreen products. For consumers, it should mean less confusion when buying products. For manufacturers, it will mean ensuring that they meet the new labeling and testing requirements.

Lydia Velazquez in the FDA’s division of Nonprescription Regulation Development stated that these measures were necessary because “our scientific understanding has grown. We want consumers to understand that not all sunscreens are created equal.”

“This new information will help consumers know which products offer the best protection from the harmful rays of the sun,” Velazquez added. “It is important for consumers to read the entire label, both front and back, in order to choose the appropriate sunscreen for their needs.”

Under the new regulations, all OTC sunscreen products by summer 2012 will be required to meet certain standards. Because the relative economic impact is greater for products with lower sales volume, which disproportionately could affect smaller manufacturers, the FDA has provided a longer implementation period (two years) for products with annual sales of less than $25,000. Among the new regulation’s main points:

Broad Spectrum designation. Sunscreens that pass the FDA’s broad-spectrum test procedure, which measures a product’s UVA protection relative to its UVB protection, may be labeled as “Broad Spectrum SPF [value]” on the front label. For Broad Spectrum sunscreens, SPF values also indicate the amount or magnitude of overall protection. Broad Spectrum SPF products with SPF values higher than 15 provide greater protection and may claim additional uses, as described below.

Use claims. Only Broad Spectrum sunscreens with an SPF value of 15 or higher can claim to reduce the risk of skin cancer and early skin aging if used as directed with other sun protection measures. Non-Broad Spectrum sunscreens and Broad Spectrum sunscreens with an SPF values between 2 and 14 can only claim to help prevent sunburn.

“Waterproof, “sweatproof” or “sunblock” claims. Manufacturers cannot label sunscreens as “waterproof” or “sweatproof,” or identify their products as “sunblocks,” because these claims overstate their effectiveness, the FDA stated. Sunscreens also cannot claim to provide sun protection for more than two hours without reapplication or to provide protection immediately after application (e.g., “instant protection”) without submitting data to support these claims and obtaining FDA approval.

Water resistance claims. Water resistance claims on the front label must indicate whether the sunscreen remains effective for 40 minutes or 80 minutes while swimming or sweating, based on standard testing. Sunscreens that are not water resistant must include a direction instructing consumers to use a water-resistant sunscreen if swimming or sweating.

Drug Facts. All sunscreens must include standard “Drug Facts” information on the back and/or side of the container.

Responding to the release of the final regulations, Beth St. Raymond, marketing director for Energizer Personal Care’s Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic brands stated, “Both our Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic brand sunscreen formulas, with SPFs higher than 15, already meet the newly announced FDA requirements for providing safe and effective UVA and UVB protection, and we will be implementing the new regulations on broad-spectrum labeling in a timely manner.”

The article above is part of the DSN Category Review Series. For the complete Sun Care Buy-In Report, including extensive charts, data and more analysis, click here.

Hain Celestial expresses stance on product labeling

MELVILLE, N.Y. — Hain Celestial expressed its continued commitment to a "back-to-basics approach to product labeling."

The natural and organic products company said that some on-pack "Nutrition Keys" — a labeling system introduced earlier this year — may omit or disguise important information about a product. Citing a recent column published in the New England Journal of Medicine that criticized the system, Hain Celestial said that it hopes all consumer packaged goods companies adopt what it referred to as "truth-in-labeling standards."

"We have a responsibility to educate consumers as to how to make good choices for themselves and their families, for both meal and snacking occasions," Hain Celestial president and CEO Irwin Simon said. "We support continued research and discussion on this important issue."

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The Colgate Smart Electronic Toothbrush E1 with Artificial Intelligence works with Apple's ResearchKit to crowdsource toothbrushing data for better and faster innovation, the company said. Designed with the help of dentists, the brush features real-time sensors and AI algorithms to detect brushing effectiveness in 16 zones of the mouth.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Walgreens will be introducing the first implementations of its new store format later this spring, or in early summer, executives said Monday night at the 36th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference. The new format will mark the first major overhaul of the core Walgreens format since the finalization of its merger with Alliance Boots in December 2014.

Revlon has named actress Gal Gadot as their latest global brand ambassador. The "Wonder Woman" star will appear in the beauty company’s Live Boldly campaign, which is designed to inspire women to express themselves with passion, optimism, strength and style, the New York City-based company said.

Goddess Garden Organics recently augmented sensory health and wellness merchandising assortments with a line of wearable aromatherapy accessories and essential-oil roll-on perfumes.
“Aromatherapy’s popularity is quickly becoming mainstream, and the benefits of pure essential oils are undeniable,” stated Nova Covington, CEO Goddess Garden, which operates out of Boulder, Colo. “Our new line lets people enjoy the benefits of aromatherapy on-the-go, with the added bonus of mood-enhancing stones.”

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